Embrace Pet Insurance Blog

Make 101 dollars on your pet's dental cleaning

Too good to be true? Actually no.

Here's how it works. Add the Dental Rewards plan with an Embrace Pet Insurance policy and you'll get $400 of benefit for $299 cost annually ($101.00 savings) or $28.95 monthly ($52.60 savings).

The plan works just like a health savings plan and you can spend your rewards dollars on as many of the items below as you would like up to your $400 limit:

• Teeth cleaning
• Dental checkups and exams
• Dental X-rays
• Blood-testing, antibiotics, & anesthesia related to dental surgery
• Crowns, fillings, and even orthodontics!

Download a sample rewards certificate to view a full list of what's covered.

There are some very nice features in addition:

• no deductibles or coinsurance percentages
• no waiting period
• covers pre-existing dental illness - so if you know your dog needs some teeth pulled or that you'd like to get your dog braces, that is covered too

Want to learn more? Get an Embrace pet insurance quote to see how little it can be to insurance your dog or cat for accidents, illnesses and dental wellness.

Related Posts:
February is Pet Dental Health Month at Embrace Pet Insurance
Guest Post: video of a veterinarian cleaning dog teeth
Make 101 dollars on your pet's dental cleaning
Guest Post: your pet dental questions with Dr Patrick  Mahaney
Claim Example: Tooth Fracture in a Golden Retriever

Is it possible to train a cat to walk on a leash?

We shall see!

When we think of the term "pet behavior", we think of issues, like chewing or inappropriate urination or freaking out in a thunderstorm, not something more positive like getting your cat to walk on a leash. So I am taking up the challenge of training my cats to walk on a leash.

I have two indoor cats, Rocket and Rosie, who are 2.5 years old and have never gone outside. Here's a quick video introduction to them. 

I know they'd like to go outside but I'm committed to keeping them out of harm's way so we asked JoyKatz if we could test out some of their beautiful handmade walking jackets for cats.

So, here are the kittens getting their harness put on. 

And here they are wandering around with their harnesses. 

As you can tell, it is going to take a while for them (Rosie in particular) to get used to the harnesses and associate them with a fun walk outside. It doesn't help that I'm in Cleveland and it's cold and snowy outside, and will be for a while. Perhaps we'll have to practise in the garage.

I'll post every now and then with their progress and next time, I'll show you the harness in more detail and how it works.

Thank you to JoyKatz for supplying these two Walking Jackets - they are very smart and well made indeed, and to Erin for taking some of the video.

Related Posts:
January is Dog & Cat Behavior Month at Embrace Pet Insurance
Guest Post: Why Are Our Pets So Stressed?
Is it possible to train a cat to walk on a leash?
Embrace Pet Insurance covers behavioral issues
Guest Post: Seizure Behavior in Dogs

Top 10 Pet-related Trends 2012

Did you know that that spending on pets in 2011 topped $50 billion for the first time? That's a lot of dog collars, don't you think! 

Actually, we spend on everything from pet accessories and food to veterinary care and services such as boarding and pet sitting. To put $50 billion in perspective, the pet industry tops the book publishing ($31 billion) and women’s clothing ($41 billion) industries by a healthy margin.

Want to know what is driving pet spending in 2012? Hop on over to the Embrace site for an in-depth look at pet-related trends for 2012. 

Related Posts:
Pet Industry Trends 2012
Pet Industry Trends 2011
Pet Industry Trends 2010
Pet Industry Trends 2009
Pet Industry Trends 2008
Pet Industry Trends 2007
Pet Industry Trends 2006

About the author: Laura Bennett FSA CFA is the CEO and Co-Founder of Embrace Pet Insurance. Her career working in the insurance industry has taken her from Toronto, Canada and Dublin Ireland to the US, where she obtained her MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Laura was the first pet insurance actuary in the United States and was named to the Society of Actuaries Top 100 Actuarial Pioneers for her ground-breaking work in pet insurance. Laura strongly believes in furthering awareness of pet insurance across North America and leads that work in her third year as Chairman of the Board of NAPHIA, the North American Pet Health Insurance Association. Laura also writes a blog on pet-related issues, the Embrace Pet Insurance blog.

Veterinary Inflation Observations

Have you been wondering recently why your veterinary care feels like it costs so much more than it used to? You are not alone.

I was digging into the inflation numbers over at the Bureau of Labor Statistics and I was fascinated by the difference between veterinary inflation (yes, they do track such a thing!) and the consumer price inflation.

For example (see graph below), if I look at January 2007 to March 2011 (just about as long as we've been selling pet insurance policies), while my wages went up 10% over that time (yay!), my vet bills went up 25% in the same period (ouch!). Vet bills are definitely taking up more of a bite out of my free cash than they used to. 

 
You can clearly see the impact of the Great Recession in the second half of 2008 in the CPI, with the year's inflation being practically zero (-0.1%); however, veterinary inflation chugged along at 7% that year and didn't slow down until 2009.

Another point to note, the Consumer Price Index is defined as the change in the prices paid by urban consumers for a representative basket of goods and services and Veterinary Services are just a subset of those goods and services. The representative basket of goods is based on typical family spending in 2007/2008 so changes in the types of veterinary services (such as more TPLO surgeries or MRIs) are not reflected.

So chances are, as veterinary medicine has grown in the last 3 years, and more complex and more costly procedures are more common, your veterinary spending increases are even more than those shown above.

It's amazing we can afford our cats and dogs at all, don't you think?

If you are wondering what impact veterinary inflation has on pet insurance premiums, check out my blog post on how inflation and other factors affect pet insurance premiums using Trupanion as a case study.

Just for fun, here's another graph for 2001 - 2011. It really shows the bite into your household income over the last 10 years.

 
For the data hounds out there, you can find the data on the BLS website:

• CPI - All Items US City Average Seasonally Adjusted
• Veterinary Inflation - Veterinary Services US City Average Seasonally Adjusted

Introducing Mama Elephant and Her Baby - National Hairball Awareness Day

With three cats in the house, we're had our fair share of goopy hairballs suddenly discovered under foot or hidden away in the guest room, only to be discovered when showing your mother-in-law to her sleeping quarters (oops!)

When Furminator asked if I'd be interested in joining in with National Hairball Awareness Day, I thought it a fun way to highlight something that can be quite a problem for people with cats. We've certainly paid out some gastrointestinal claims related to the issue.

Luckily, my cats Rocket, Rosie and Lily all have short fur but:

a) they all still have hairball issues every now and then, and
b) I remember back to when I used to have long-haired cats... which is why I now have short-haired cats

Here's a creation I made from the fur from 1 day of grooming the 3 cats with our 2 Furminators (one kindly donated to me by Furminator).

Mama Elephant Holding Her Baby

Do you like her? I think she's kind of cute - she just sort of popped out of the fur (that and the fact that my youngest daughter loves elephants.)

My two girls, Ellie and Erin, had a lot of fun helping with the grooming and fur gathering, loading it into ziploc bags for future use (goodness knows what their teachers must think we do in our family for fun).

Seriously though, how do you prevent furballs? I've generally had good success with 2 methods - food and grooming.

I've found that if I feed high quality cat food with lots of protein and as "natural" as I can afford, that helps keep the cats fur shiny and healthy. Somehow, it doesn't seem to clog up their insides as much as if it's a bit lank and greasy, which I find I get with lesser quality foods.

Also, grooming just preempts the soft underfur that would be shed being swallowed - best to remove in advance. I really do love my Furminator (and you can't beat that name!) and now I am delighted to have a new model that has the ability to push off the fur with a push button instead of grabbing it off. That's definitely a nice enhancement.

By the way, Rocket and Rosie found Mama Elephant after her photo shoot and totally destroyed her, her furry demeanor being much too fascinating to hold back.

The girls were very disappointed but I think I know where I might get some more fur to play with, don't you?

Disclosure: as I mentioned, I got a free Furminator for participating in this fun day. I added it to my growing collection - the purple-for-Embrace is a nice touch

 

Top 10 Pet-related Small Business Trends 2011

Just when you thought Trend Season was over for 2011, the Embrace Pet Insurance annual pet-related small business trends article is now available on the Embrace website for your reading pleasure.

In the meantime, here is a summary for you, just in case you don't have time for the full version.
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The current recession continues to affect the pet world. Although the pet industry has delivered positive growth in spite of the Great Recession, the pet industry is not immune to sagging consumer sentiment. Pet-related spending in 2011 will show an increase over 2010 levels but not at the robust rates we saw prior to the recession.

1. Spending on Pet Accessories and OTC Medicine Up

Even during the darkest days of the recession, spending on accessories and OTC medicine grew at 2%, showing that pet parents will cut back on their own expenses before those of their pets.

The APPA projects growth levels back to pre-recession levels of 5.8%. Whether we see a rebound to to this level remains to be seen but there’s no doubt it will pick up again in 2011.

2. Continued Growth in Services for Pets

According to the APPA, pet services continued to show growth in 2010, although not quite reaching the 6% level projected. In fact, growth is projected to nearly halve, from 5% in 2009 to 2.8% in 2010.

Retail behemoth Wal-Mart has rolled out pet grooming facilities but not with the characteristic aggression you might have expected. Pet travel services, such as temporary day care for pets, are definitely a niche with plenty of room to grow. Who better to pioneer the idea than Disney, which has finally caught on to the trend of vacationers travelling with their pets, opening the Best Friends Pet Care luxury dog and cat resort right across from the Walt Disney World Resort.

3. Veterinary Spending Doggedly Increases

While growth in pet supplies and services might be “languishing” in the 2 to 4% range over the last couple of years, veterinary services continue to surge ahead. This year, the APPA projects 6.2% growth but I wouldn’t be surprised if it were even lower given the historically low level of veterinary inflation we’re experiencing.

General veterinary hospitals will benefit as pet parents choose to have complicated surgery and treatment at their regular (and cheaper) veterinarian rather than at a specialty hospital.

4. Pet Insurance Inching Into Mainstream

The US pet insurance industry was not immune to the recession in 2009 and 2010. Gross written premiums (GWP) reached $290 million in 2009 [2] and are projected to reach $327 million (12% growth) at the end of 2010. I expect overall premium growth of 14% in 2011 that will see the US pet insurance industry grow to $374 million in GWP.

5. Digging Further into Cat Health

CATalyst, a non-profit group aimed at reducing the perception of cats as aloof and not needing human contact or care, launched a new program in 2010 to encourage and educate veterinarians to turn around the declining number of vet visits and it may be one way veterinarians are bolstering their revenues during the tail end of the recession.

6. Pet Businesses Thrive Socially

Social networking in the pet space went mainstream in 2010, drawing out large and small organizations, as well as pet-focused individuals looking to help out pet non-profits who amongst companies of all sizes.

2010 saw the first social media conference solely for pet bloggers, Blogpaws, closely followed by BarkWorld, covering a broad spectrum of pet social media. On the non-profit side, while many rescue organizations are using social networking as part of their funding drives, pet lovers are taking fund-raising into their own paws with online “pawpawty” events on Twitter that raise thousands of dollars for charity at a time, as well as “personal” fund-raising drives, where pet parents finding themselves in a financial predicament over their pet’s health are turning to organizations such as GiveForward to help raise the necessary funds.

7. Large Retailers Still Playing to Win

Target and Wal-Mart continue to expand their pet aisles and, in the case of Wal-Mart, their pet services; however PetSmart and Petco continue to dominate the pet retail space despite these encroachments.

8. Customers Are Talking About You Online

Online reviews continue to have great impact on the purchase of pet products and services. Pet parents looking for a new veterinarian in their area can turn to Yelp.com, those checking out pet insurers go to PetInsuranceReview.com, and of course, Amazon provides customer reviews for everything they sell or advertise.

9. Pet-related Businesses Have Unfulfilled Ecommerce Aspirations

In 2010, there was a paucity of web development in the pet world – a missed opportunity indeed. This really is an area that can make a small business stand out but it is much harder and more expensive to accomplish than one would think.

10. Pet-related Blogs Become Everyday Reading

Pet-related blogs will continue to influence in 2011 as pet parents integrate blogs as a daily part of their informational lives.

Bloggers such Pet Connection, Pawcurious, About.com’s Dr. Janet Crosby and Yes Biscuit! continue to gain respect and readership, building a small but influential community around their blogs. There are few more mainstream pet bloggers, Martha Stewart being the only one I can think of (both Martha and her dogs blog), which surprises me. Most large pet-related brands have a blog, although some are not much more than blatant product marketing instead of quality conversations with pet parents. Eukanuba and Petco lead the pack in engaging readers with their brands. Look for more large brands to jump on this wagon in 2011.

And one final bonus trend…

11. Veterinary Advice Goes Virtual

If you ask most veterinarians about online veterinary advice, they’d strongly denounce such interactions as amateurish, unqualified and even life threatening. Having said that, there is a need for a second opinion on a condition or perhaps clarification something their own vet that can be provided by qualified online veterinary services such as VetLive.com or PetDocsOnCall.com. I expect we will see discussion around and use of this convenient veterinary service grow in 2011.

You can find the details on the Embrace website on the Pet Business Trends 2011 page. 

Related Posts:
Pet Industry Trends 2011
Pet Industry Trends 2010
Pet Industry Trends 2009
Pet Industry Trends 2008
Pet Industry Trends 2007
Pet Industry Trends 2006

About the author: Laura Bennett FSA CFA is the CEO and Co-Founder of Embrace Pet Insurance. Her career working in the insurance industry has taken her from Toronto, Canada and Dublin Ireland to the US, where she obtained her MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Laura was the first pet insurance actuary in the United States and was named to the Society of Actuaries Top 100 Actuarial Pioneers for her ground-breaking work in pet insurance. Laura strongly believes in furthering awareness of pet insurance across North America and leads that work in her current role of Chairman of the Board of NAPHIA, the North American Pet Health Insurance Association. Laura also writes a blog on pet-related issues, the Embrace Pet Insurance blog.

Kitty litter problems - one big reason cats are put up for adoption

 
If you've had cats in  your life, you probably have experienced a litterbox issue at one time or another. Sometimes the issue is minor and temporary, but sometimes no matter what you try, that cat will pee in the worst places over and over again.

I never really thought about it before but when it gets to the endless inappropriate peeing, most pet owners give up and either drop the cat off at the local shelter or have the cat put down. It's a heartbreaking situation when perhaps something can be done.

So I was really happy to see my friend Caroline Golon start a website on litterbox issues, The Happy Litterbox, and how to address them. I am really hoping pet parents who really want to get over the peeing issue can use this website to help their own situation.

I've contributed my own recent case study with my cat Rocket in the hopes that we can all share stories to help others. Most cases can be overcome with perseverance, knowledge, and friends to share the situation with.

If you have a success story to share with Caroline, feel free to ping her over at The Happy Litterbox. The more stories, the merrier, I say.

How to brush your dog's teeth - an Embraced pet parent shows how she does it

Do you want to brush your dog's teeth but are afraid it's too hard or too much work? If yes, I have some inspiration for you - it's not nearly as hard as it looks or sounds.

I am so excited for this post. Jeani Coleman, an Embrace policyholder, happened to mention to me last month that she cleans all her dogs' teeth (4 dogs at present) and I asked her if she would take some video of her brushing her teeth and maybe write up something to go with it. Jeani does not have veterinary training but she has been brushing her dogs' teeth for years and knows a thing or two about what works and sent a great write up and a wonderful video to go along with it.

As always, check with your veterinarian on technique and materials to use to brush your dog's teeth but I hope you can see that it's much easier than it sounds to keep them nice and healthy.

From Jeani... (everything Jeani talks about here is illustrated in the most excellent video she made that I've posted at the bottom)
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I’ve got 4 dogs of 4 different ages and sizes and I brush their teeth daily.  It only takes seconds – in fact, I can get all of their teeth brushed in the same time it takes me to brush my teeth.

The first dog I will talk about is my 11 year old toy poodle Molly.  I’ve been brushing Molly’s teeth all her life and her teeth are in excellent condition.   I prefer to use the good ole doggy toothbrush which you can pick up anywhere.  It has two sizes to use. Of course I use the small size for my 4 small dogs.   It comes in a package with C.E.T. toothpaste which I get from my vet. It’s chicken flavored and the dogs love it.

You don’t have to brush all their teeth – only the top rack and only the outside.  The insides stay clean from the dogs’ tongue and saliva as well as the bottom rack – I can’t tell you why – you would have to ask your vet.  I put the toothpaste on the brush and I pull her cheek back to expose her back molars.  These are the critical ones because they get the most tartar deposits. You just take the brush and stroke down a couple of times and move down toward the front.  Then I got to the other side and do the same.  Sometimes it’s hard to get the toothbrush back there but you get the hang of it with practice.  Then I do the fronts and we’re through.  And it doesn’t even take half a minute.

The next dog is Gracie, my tiny toy poodle who is 3 years old.  I use the same brush for her. I just rinse it and apply the paste.  I let her lick it a little then I use my finger to pull her cheek out because she is so small.  I repeat the same procedure as with Molly.

Alfie  is our 7 mo. Old Pomchi (Pomeranian and Chihuahua mix) – he’s actually our grand-dog and he will be living with his parents as soon as they move into their new house which will be soon.  Alfie is still learning to accept teeth brushing.  He loves the paste so I let him lick it then I put some on the brush and let him lick it off the brush while I slip the brush into his mouth a little.  Then I grab his muzzle and wedge the brush into the sides of his cheeks and do a little brushing. 

The final dog is Sheldon, our new toy poodle.  I just got him from the breeder last week. He is a year old and has never had his teeth brushed.  His teeth aren’t as white as my other dogs since he hasn’t had regular teeth brushing.  Sheldon had his teeth professionally cleaned in October, so it just shows how quickly dogs’ teeth can get dirty.  I first let him smell and lick the toothpaste.  Then I put a little bit on the brush and let him lick it.  I introduced the brush to his tongue so he could feel it.  Then I was able to place it on his back teeth on both sides just a little.  It will take time for him to get used to it, but he is already accepting it. 

I can’t tell you how important it is to brush your dog’s teeth.  Dogs get tooth decay the same as humans do and it can be very painful.  Sometimes their teeth can hurt so much that it’s difficult for them to eat and especially when it goes into gum disease.   The bacteria and infection gets into their system and can cause all kinds of health problems even to death.   Dogs can also get abscesses which can be extremely painful and result in tooth extraction.  I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping your dog’s teeth cleaned.

I hope I’ve helped you.  If you have any questions, be sure to ask your vet.

 

Do you brush your dog or cat's teeth? Do you find it as easy as Jeani?

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Related Posts:
February is Dental Health Month at Embrace Pet Insurance
Guest Post: top five ways to know if your dog needs a dental 
Breed Focus: Italian Greyhound
How to brush your dog's teeth - an Embraced pet parent shows how she does it
Claim Example: dental cleaning and extractions
Guest Post: Preventing Pet Periodontal Disease

Fun Way to Introduce Children to Adopting Cats and Dogs

It's never to early to get kids used to the idea of adopting dogs and cats but how? You can definitely take them to a shelter to see how it works, talk to the shelter staff to learn about your region's rescue operations, and generally absorbing all things Rescue.

Another way, which I had no idea existed until this month, is to have a birthday party for your kids at the shelter. It costs a minimal amount ($50 in our area) and is a great way for the shelter to introduce what they do to young children. While all my cats are rescues, I had no idea that you could do this - just when I thought I knew everything ;)

Yesterday, my just-turned-seven daughter Ellie and her friend Wren had a joint birthday party at the Geauga Humane Society's Rescue Village. I take no credit for the idea , which goes to Paola, Wren's mom, who had done this before for her older son. In addition, I was very impressed with Ellie and Wren who chose a Rescue Village party over a Dazzle party (whatever that is) and agreed to forgo gifts from their guests in favor of donations to the shelter in the form of items off their wish list.

The party started off with a tour of the facilities by Mary, our host. Much amusement was found in the barn where there were, among other things, 2 roosters, 2 chickens, and a very curious billy goat (who was rather creepy to be honest - he was looking for a lurv partner it you get my drift). The dogs and cats came in all shapes, sizes, and level of energy. I had to hold back in the cat room, where there was a very friendly long-haired tuxedo cat who so desperately wanted me to take him home. He told me so.

Then the girls got to pet a very cute puffball of a young dog who wiggled and licked his way around the crowd and then peed on the floor in excitement - usual doggy stuff - as well pet a 4 month old kitten who purred and shook his way around the room. Lots of oohs and aahs.

Mary also showed the girls how the martingale collar that the dog was wearing worked and how it stayed loose when it needed to be and humanely tight when it needed to be. Then there was the "hand", which caused much hilarity since it's a rubber arm on a stick that is used to check a dog's temperament around food. Better to have a fake arm bitten than your own. The girls got a kick out of touching it's rubbery exterior and being creeped out - you know how 7 year old girls are.

Then it was chocolate chip cupcakes that Paola brought from home (silence ensued except for nom nom sounds) and cat toy crafts for the shelter cats and goody bags to take home.

I think it's a wonderful way to introduce the kids to the concept of rescuing pets (they all had a ball), but also a great way show their parents where the facility is in case they'd never been. No harm in planting the seed of adding another cat or dog to the household is there?

Special thanks to Mary, our gracious host, who patiently put up with interruptions from enthusiastic girls wanting to tell stories about their cats. You are a star!

Have your kids ever been to a shelter for a party or as part of a cub scouts or brownies? What did they think of the whole experience?

 

 

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Press Release: New art gallery featuring contemporary animal art makes its debut at Embrace Pet Insurance

New art gallery featuring contemporary animal art makes its debut at Embrace Pet Insurance in Beachwood, OH.

A pet insurance company and an art gallery may seem like an odd combination to some, but in the era of new media and art marketing, it is a perfect fit.

Canton, OH artist BZTAT (AKA Vicki Boatright) is teaming up with Embrace Pet Insurance in Beachwood to create the BZTAT Studios Embrace Gallery. The new gallery located at Embrace’s home offices at 23625 Commerce Park, Suite 150 in Beachwood will hold a Holiday Open House Reception on Thursday, December 2, 2010 from 4pm – 8pm to celebrate the holiday season. A Grand Opening celebration for the gallery will be planned later on in the New Year.

Embrace CEO Laura Bennett first connected with artist BZTAT online through social media. They met in person at the BlogPaws pet blogging conference in Columbus, OH in April and again at the second BlogPaws conference in Denver, CO in September. Recognizing that they shared an interest in pets and that their business purposes overlapped, they forged a partnership that served both entrepreneurs well.

“Having an art gallery in our offices is an exciting venture for Embrace,” said Bennett. “Not only do we have the opportunity to have high quality artwork on our walls, the gallery helps us achieve one of our core values, which is to serve both the pet community at large and our own communities at home. Being a supporter of the arts brings value to our organization, enhances the local community, and adds to the overall experience for our customers.”

Vicki Boatright, known as BZTAT (pronounced bee-zee-tat), is an accomplished artist based in the burgeoning Canton Arts District some 60 miles south of Beachwood. An avid pet lover and blogger, she is well known to the international pet blogging community through her two blogs and through social media.

Boatright specializes in whimsical paintings, drawings and prints of cats, dogs and other companion animals. She creates colorful, customized pet portraits, which are unique in their original contemporary style and are collected by people around the world. She also creates murals, recently completing a large scale public artwork featuring 4 cats on the side of a building in Canton. She uses the name BZTAT in homage to a feline companion of that name who was with her for 19 years.

Boatright eschews the usual methods of marketing artwork through traditional gallery representation and juried competitions.  Through the use of social media and targeted networking, she has developed an international following for her work in a relatively short amount of time.

“I prefer to represent myself through networking with individuals and corporations with a pet focus,” said Boatright. “Most of my artwork is pet oriented, so it makes more sense for me to market my work to people who value their pets and enjoy creativity along pet themes. Representation through traditional galleries can’t give me that kind of focus.”

“Embrace is an organization that values pets, and its customers are pet lovers as well,” Boatright explained further. “They had a fantastic space in their offices that begged to be an art gallery. Partnering with them made so much sense on many fronts.”

Boatright plans to develop the Embrace Gallery into an interactive space, eventually offering classes and workshops that encourage pet-oriented creativity.

You can learn more about the artist and view her artwork at www.bztat.com.

All are welcomed to attend the Holiday Open House Reception on Thursday, December 2, including pets. Light refreshments and pet treats will be served. 

Embrace Pet Insurance and the BZTAT Studios Gallery at Embrace are located in the rear of the building at 23625 Commerce Park, Suite 150, Beachwood, OH 44122.

For more information, contact: Vicki Boatright bztat@bztat.com or (330) 371-3150  

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